After the people of Israel were exiled to Babylon, returning to Jerusalem in 538 BC, they went about the task of rebuilding their city. However, they eventually were conquered by the Greeks, becoming a part of their empire. During the reign of King Antiochus IV in the 2nd century before Christ’s birth, Judas Maccabeus was called by God to lead his people to overthrow the Greek domination. He took back control of the Temple and restored the rituals of worship there. In today’s reading from 1st Maccabees, we hear about the cleansing of the Temple, which our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate in Hanukkah. In the Gospel, Jesus quotes Jeremiah, stating that the Lord’s house is to be a place of prayer and worship. The mass we celebrate each Sunday is supposed to be something very sacred. We gather around the altar of the Lord. We are to see it as God’s house, as a very holy place. It takes us back to our faith that has been passed down to us throughout the generations. May we never forget that.
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